The Secret
by DarkMoonSerenityRaven
Summary: Sportacus hasn't seen his friend Amelia in eight years. On the eighth anniversary of her coming to LazyTown, he gets quite a surprise.


Sportacus jumped out of bed and dropped to the floor, starting to do push ups. After he finished, he jumped up and flipped toward the wall. He pushed off it and landed in a crouched position. A table slid out of the wall and a door slid open, revealing all the fruits and vegetables that Sportacus had. He grabbed an apple and bit into it. He smiled when he thought of Stephanie, Pixel, Stingy, Trixie, and Ziggy all trying so hard to eat more "SportsCandy," as Sportacus called fruits and vegetables. His mind started to wander and he suddenly thought of his old friend Amelia Tomeski. _I haven't seen her in eight years as of today,_ he thought. _I wonder if she's still eating healthy and staying active…_ The last time he saw her was when she was nine. Her and Stephanie were very similar in wanting to be outside playing instead of being indoors all the time. Sportacus' crystal suddenly beeped and lit up.

"Someone's in trouble!" he exclaimed. He ran toward a closed door. "Door!" he commanded. The door opened and he ran out onto the platform it created. "SkyChaser!" He jumped off the platform and landed on his SkyChaser. He pedaled it down toward the ground and jumped off. He landed in a crouched position and ran toward where the trouble was. He saw a teenage girl helping Ziggy out of a tree.

"You _have_ to be more careful," she said. There was something _very_ familiar about her voice but Sportacus couldn't place it.

"Okay," Ziggy replied. "I was only trying to get some SportsCandy."

"SportsCandy?" she asked.

"Fruits and vegetables," said Sportacus. She turned to face him and Sportacus still couldn't place why she looked so familiar.

"Sportacus?" she asked. He was shocked that she knew who he was. When she saw that he didn't recognise her, she said, "It's me. Amelia." Sportacus ran toward her, picked her up, and hugged her.

"Amelia!" he exclaimed. She laughed. "It's been so long!" He put her down and placed his hands on her shoulders, smiling.

"It's good to see you too, Sportacus," she said still laughing.

"Amelia, this is Stephanie, Ziggy, Trixie, Pixel, and Stingy. Everyone, this is my friend, Amelia Tomeski." He turned back to Amelia. "It's been eight years since I've last seen you." He hugged her again.

"Feels like forever doesn't it?" Sportacus nodded and smiled.

"So, what's LazyTown been up to since I was last here?" Amelia asked.

"To be honest, I've only been back here in LazyTown for about a year," Sportacus replied.

"Really? What made you leave?"

"Uh, well, no one here in LazyTown needed me."

"Back when you were number-"

"Back when I was the numbered slightly-above-average hero in LazyTown," Sportacus interrupted. Amelia gave him a confused look and then it dawned on her. _Sportacus hasn't told the kids yet?_ she thought. _This could be interesting…_

"But Sportacus," said Stephanie, "you're still the numbered hero of LazyTown. You're the _only_ hero of LazyTown."

"You're right," Sportacus said with a smile. "Well, I have to go. I'll see you guys later!"

"Sportacus wait!" said Amelia. "I was wondering if I could see your airship?"

"Why not?" He looked up and said, "Ladder!" The ladder came down and Sportacus started climbing, Amelia following him. Once they got into the airship, Amelia cornered Sportacus.

"Okay, Athleticus Niundamann," she said. "You have some explaining to do." Amelia crossed her arms over her chest.

"I, uh… I really don't have anything to say."

"Why haven't you told them? About you really being number nine?"

"I don't think they would understand. By the way, how did you know my new name?"

"Before I had to rescue Ziggy, I overheard them talking about a 'Sportacus' who was a superhero," she put her hand up to stop Sportacus, "who refers to himself as a slightly-above-average hero." She took Sportacus' hand. "To me, you'll always be Athleticus. I think you need to tell the kids though. They should know that you're number nine. And number eight. And so on."

"I know I should, but… I don't think it's a good idea."

"How did they find out about you in the first place?"

"Well, Stephanie's uncle, the Mayor, told her about number nine, and she sent a letter by airmail to see if she could reach him. She reached me instead."

"Athle- Sportacus. You should tell at least Stephanie. She thought she was getting number nine at first. You should tell her that she _did_ get number nine along with number ten."

"Alright. I'll tell them." Amelia let Sportacus go and he flipped over her. "Door!" he commanded. The door opened and he ran out onto the platform it created. "SkyChaser!" Sportacus jumped off the platform and landed on his SkyChaser. He looked up at Amelia. "Ladder!" The ladder fell down and she started climbing down it. He jumped off his SkyChaser when he got close to the ground and it flew back up toward his airship. Amelia soon joined him and they went to look for the kids. Sportacus' crystal beeped. He heard another beeping noise and finally saw the number one on Amelia's outfit.

"Someone's in trouble!" she said. Sportacus nodded and they ran off toward the trouble. It was Ziggy stuck in another tree. Sportacus jumped up and grabbed Ziggy, putting his feet safely on the ground.

"Thank you, Sportacus!" he said. Sportacus smiled and nodded.

"No problem, Ziggy," he replied. He turned to Amelia. "So how do you have a crystal?"

"In the town I come from, I'm known as Airo. I'm also a slightly-above-average hero." She smiled at Sportacus.

"This is news to me!"

"It's only happened in the past couple years," Amelia explained. Sportacus nodded. The rest of the kids gathered around them and Sportacus looked at Amelia.

"Tell them," she mouthed. Sportacus looked at the kids.

"I, uh… Well…" Sportacus started.

"What is it, Sportacus?" asked Stephanie.

"Sportacus has something to tell you guys," said Amelia.

"Uh… Remember how you wanted number nine to come and play with you on your first day in LazyTown, Stephanie?" Stephanie nodded.

"And we got you!" said Ziggy happily.

"Well, you _did_ get number nine." The kids looked confused.

"What do you mean?" asked Stephanie. "You're number ten."

Sportacus turned to Amelia.

"I told you they wouldn't understand," he said.

"Explain it to them," Amelia replied.

"I don't know how to!" Amelia sighed and turned to the kids.

"What Sportacus means is-"

"Children!" called Mayor Meanswell. He walked over to them. "What are you doing?"

"Sportacus is trying to tell us something about getting number nine when I wrote that letter on my first day here in LazyTown," said Stephanie.

"How on earth is that possible?" asked the Mayor. "Sportacus is number ten!"

"His friend was about to tell us," she explained. Amelia took this as her cue to continue.

"So, what Sportacus means is that he _was_ number nine. He was 'reborn' as number ten. He was also numbers one through eight. Each time he's reborn, he gets stronger and more powerful."

"So if Sportacus used to be number nine," said Pixel, "then does that mean he had a different name?" Amelia nodded.

"The name I know him by is Athleticus Niundamann. He's the slightly-above-average hero that I knew when I was here in LazyTown." Pixel turned to Sportacus.

"So you used be called Athleticus?" Sportacus nodded.

"That's so cool!" Sportacus smiled. _Maybe that wasn't so bad to tell them,_ he thought. His smile grew bigger as everyone wanted a story from when Sportacus was Athleticus.

"Alright," said Sportacus. "Just one story. Then I have to be off." All the kids sat entranced by Sportacus' story and Sportacus found himself growing more excited as he told it. _Maybe this wasn't a bad idea after all._


End file.
